Belfast Trojans win Shamrock Bowl XXVII

The Belfast Trojans won their second consecutive Shamrock Bowl with a convincing 48-18 win over the Dublin Rebels at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday 20th July.

A good crowd was on hand to watch the contest, which was played in unusually hot weather, with temperatures in the high 20s. Trojans running back Ian Montgomery was named American Food & More Store MVP.

The Trojans running game, featuring a trio of running backs – Colvin, Newton and Montgomery, running behind an offensive line led by former All-ACC and NFL Europe starter Jeroen Egge dominated the contest, moving the ball efficiently on most of the Trojans possessions.

Belfast’s opening possession of the game set the tone for the afternoon with Dave Colvin scoring the games first touchdown before the Rebels even touched the ball. The Rebels attempted to go deep on their first possession and were unlucky not to connect. QB Andy Dennehy hit receiver Chris Purdy on third down to move the chains.
However, the Rebels fumbled the ball shortly afterwards to give the Trojans the ball in Rebel’s territory. Alex Newton and Ian Montgomery converted the turnover into eight points with a touchdown and two point conversion. The Rebels failed to move the ball on their next possession, and after punting, the Trojans moved the ball effectively with Montgomery scoring their third touchdown mid way through the second quarter to make it 20-0.

On their next offensive series, the Rebels started to move the ball.
Dennehy had a key 4th down pass to Gary Sommerville and a 20 yard run by Sam Hodgins put them in the Trojans red zone. Dennehy then connected with Purdy for an 11 yard touchdown pass to make it 20-6.
The Rebels defence then stepped up, stopping the Trojans. With less than a minute remaining in the half, the Rebels got the ball deep inside their own half. However, they gambled on throwing the ball and it backfired when Gary Carr picked off a Rebels pass and returned it to the end zone to make the score 26-6 at halftime.

The Rebels got the ball deep in their own territory following the second half kick-off. The Trojans defence was solid and forced them to punt on 4th down. However, the snap was too high and the Trojans tackled the punter on the five yard line as he attempted to recover the errant ball. Trojans QB James McKelvey then connected with Dave Richardson to make it 32-6.

The Rebels went to the air on their next possession in an effort to chase the game. QB Dennehy had had some success, including a 30 yard pass to Sommerville and it looked like they might score again. However they were stopped by a Scott Fischaber interception.

The Trojans next score came late in the third quarter when QB McKelvey was flushed out of the pocket by the Rebels defense and forced to scramble. After breaking a couple of tackles, he took the ball down the left sideline for a score, which was also converted. The Trojans final score came early in the fourth quarter, when following a botched punt; Marty Devlin took the ball into the end zone to make it 48-6.

However, the Rebels didn’t give up. The managed to move the ball effectively on their next possession which ended with a touchdown run by Sam Hodgins. They stopped the Trojans again, and after moving the ball downfield capped off a good quarter with a touchdown run by Simon Mackey to close the gap to 48-18. The Trojans then recovered a Rebels onside kick, but had a 46 yard field goal attempted blocked by the Rebels.

The Trojans were presented with the Shamrock Bowl trophy by Deputy Mayor Eamon Tuffy and recently crowned World Junior Tae Kwon Do Champion, Donna O’Mahoney.